F1 News: Andretti details 'personal' reason F1 rejected team's 2026 entry bid

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Andretti details 'personal' reason F1 rejected team's 2026 entry bid

Mario Andretti reveals a personal clash with a Liberty media chief

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 28 May 2024 17:00

Mario Andretti has revealed that their rejected F1 bid felt ‘personal’ and was a ‘bullet to the heart’ for the former world champion.

American outfit Andretti made a bid to join F1 for 2026, but were rejected by Formula One Management.

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The team is fronted by former F1 driver Michael Andretti, and they currently compete in racing series such as IndyCar, Formula E and the IMSA series.

Andretti’s bid was in conjunction with Cadillac, owned by General Motors who will power Andretti’s racing cars from 2028.

Why did F1 reject Andretti?

Regardless, Andretti are preparing for a 2028 entry opening a brand new facility in Silverstone and advertising key technical roles.

The team have also poached F1’s Chief Technical Officer Pat Symonds who will join their team as Executive Engineering Officer.

However, the Andretti family are still unhappy about their rejected F1 bid, with former world champion Mario Andretti revealing the rejection was ‘personal’.

During an exclusive interview with NBC News, the 1978 champion detailed a clash with Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei at a private event in Miami.

Greg Maffei and Mario Andretti clash at private event

“I was asked to go there. And just as I was trying to explain that to Stefano [Domenicali - F1 CEO], Greg Maffei, Mr. Maffei, broke in the conversation and he said: 'Mario, I want to tell you that I will do everything in my power to see that Michael [Andretti] never enters Formula 1,” Andretti said.

“I could not believe that. That one really floored me. ... We’re talking about business. I didn’t know it was something so personal. That was really — oh, my goodness. I could not believe it. It was just like a bullet through my heart.”

F1 Cadillac General Motors Mario Andretti Formula One Management